Assassin's Creed: Due Sorelle
by narraki
Summary: After being rescued by her long-lost sister and now master Assassin, Natalie finds herself caught in the world of Assassination as she is trained in the art.
1. Memory 1

Life for Natalie was rather quaint. After the death of her father, she lived in the estate she inherited from him off of the large sum of money she also inherited inside the city of San Gimignano in Tuscany. The days were spent exploring the town, shopping in the marketplace, and immersing herself in her artwork.

Ever since her adolescence, she has had this…unexplainable skill. Access to this skill came to her naturally; she was able to switch her vision from normal vision to this strange type of vision. Everything became dark, except for a few objects. People she found unsavory would glow red, friends of hers would glow blue. If she was looking for something, it would glow and shimmer among the other objects. It was a fascinating ability, one she could not explain and kept secret.

The marketplace was bustling with people when Natalie decided to do some shopping. With her basket in hand, she browsed through the produce, purchasing what the kitchen needed for supper that night. It may be the servants' job to do the grocery shopping, but Natalie didn't mind. Afterwards, she stopped by the tailor for some window shopping. Even though she rarely bought any, she loved looking at the dresses. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Ciao bello. Hello beautiful," a man said as he approached her.

"Alonzo…ciao," Natalie said with an unpleasant voice. Her special vision showed Alonzo as red.

Alonzo slowly backed Natalie against the wall flirtatiously. Natalie was not afraid; she knew he would not dare to do anything to her. Tugging at her short red hair, he smirked.

"You would be much more beautiful if you grew your hair out. It's almost as short as a man's!" he told her.

"Stronzo! Asshole!" Natalie called him after she pushed him aside. With her groceries, she stormed off.

The estate she inherited from her father was not large, but it was not small either. If one looked upon it, they would see that the resident was certainly wealthy. Natalie entered the courtyard, and the first thing that struck her was the silence. But she shook this off; perhaps everyone was inside. Shoving open the doors, she was met with more silence.

"Sono a casa! I'm home," Natalie announced. Nothing. Now Natalie was getting worried.

She made her way to the kitchen to put away the groceries. Once she entered, she soon discovered why everything was so silent. On the floor, in a pool of her own blood, was one of her favorite servants. Due to the blood soaked stains on her clothes, Natalie could easily tell that she had a blow to her stomach with a blade. But who could have caused this? Dropping her groceries, she began to run frantically through the house.

"Hello? Anyone? Is anyone home?" she cried out.

She entered another room to find a second servant in the same state; then a third, and fourth. There weren't many servants left that could possibly be alive. Natalie entered her own room, and inside were two men with swords. They turned to her and smiled.

"Why hello, signora. We do hope you'll pardon the mess," one man said as he slowly walked towards her. For every step he took towards Natalie, she took one step back.

"Stay away," she ordered. Groping for something, anything, to defend herself with, all she could find was a candlestick holder. This made the men laugh.

"We've been waiting for you," the second man told her.

He swung his sword at her, which surprisingly Natalie blocked with the candle holder. Unfortunately, this made the candle holder snap. Out of shock, Natalie fell backwards and the first man pointed his sword at her throat. The second man approached her from behind and pulled her up, pulling out a dagger and placing it against her throat.

"Do forgive us signora, but we are only doing our job," he said.

Natalie felt a sharp pain slide across her throat, then warmth drip down her front. The world began to fade as she fell to the floor. The last thing she remembered was a figure in black running into the room…

Danielle had been tracking this case for a while. Eagle vision had shown her that men glowing red were following Natalie for days now. This had to be linked to father's death. On one of her missions she eavesdropped on some enemies; they said they were planning to murder the De Luca girl. Natalie De Luca. Danielle ran to the estate as fast as she could.

When she arrived, her senses screamed at her that there was something wrong. Screw stairs; she grabbed onto the railing of the second story and pulled herself up and over it, onto the second story floor. Much faster. She heard noises coming from a room; voices being spoken. Then there was silence.

Danielle ran to the room, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Natalie on the floor, bleeding to death. She didn't hesitate; immediately, she put her hand against the back of one of the villains and her hidden blade thrust itself through the man's chest. It takes longer to describe this act than it took to actually perform the act.

"Assassino," the remaining man growled as he entered a fighting stance.

Danielle merely stared at him; she had no time for this. Natalie was bleeding to death upon the floor. In one graceful motion, Danielle pulled a throwing knife out of her bag and threw it into the man's throat. Then she pulled it out to let him bleed to death.

"Natalie…stay with me," she pleaded the girl.

Slinging Natalie over her shoulder, she fled the house. But not the courtyard; she was met with two more enemies. She could not fight with a dying woman over her shoulder. Putting her fingers in her mouth, she let out a whistle that almost sounded like a bird call. As the men ran towards her, they fell to the ground dead. A second Assassin emerged from the shadows and retrieved the knives he threw at them.

"Gracie Joshua," Danielle told the man. Joshua nodded. He eyed Natalie.

"We need to get her to a medico, presto," Joshua said.

"Get onto the rooftops; I don't know how many more enemies there are. I can't fight them with her, so kill any that approach us. I'll find the doctor," Danielle ordered.

Josh grabbed onto the wall, climbed up and began running along the rooftops. Danielle led the way on the ground. Luckily the sun had set and it was now night; hardly anyone to stare at them. Only four more guards approached them, but Joshua leapt from the rooftops and jammed his hidden blades into their heads before turning around and slicing the throats of the others. As quickly as he came, he fled back to the roofs. Soon Danielle found him on the street corner; a man in black robes with a long-nosed mask.

"Medico, medico! I need your help. Her throat has been cut and she needs medical attention right away!" Danielle panted.

"Quickly, bring her into my home," the doctor said, his voice slightly muffled by the mask.

Natalie woke up in a strange environment. The room was small, the bed was small…this was not her home. As she tried to sit up, she could feel a slight constriction around her neck; bandages. So it had not been a dream. Sitting in the room was the figure, the woman, that she had seen dressed in black as her vision faded. Her hood was lowered now, and her medium length black hair covered her bowed face. At the sound of Natalie's movement, though, Danielle sat up and smiled.

"Thank God you're alive," Danielle said. Natalie merely stared, before speaking in a hoarse voice.

"Sister?" Natalie whispered.


	2. Memory 2

Danielle smiled weakly, but before she could open her mouth the doctor entered the room with his mask removed.

"Are you sure you do not want me to bleed her? A weekly bleeding is good for a person!" he said. Natalie's face grew white.

"No! You are not slicing my sister's arm," Danielle ordered. With a sigh, the doctor examined the now conscious Natalie.

"The wound was very shallow; your attempted murderer did not know what he was doing. This is good for you, of course, for it saved your life. Your voice shall be hoarse, but as long as you change the bandages daily and apply medicine the wound will heal in no time. And you shall be fit to leave now," the doctor suggested.

Danielle took the hint. Paying the doctor for his troubles, and purchasing the medicine, she guided her sister outside. Joshua was waiting for them.

"I have so many questions sister. Where have you been? Who is this? Why are you dressed like that?" Natalie prodded.

"Soon Natalie. I do not think this place is safe enough for answering such questions," Danielle replied. Joshua remained silent.

Outside of the city, there were three horses waiting for them. Despite wondering why she was not returned home, Natalie saddled her horse and followed her two companions on the path to…somewhere.

"Now we are out of the city. First tell me why I am not going home," Natalie ordered. Danielle sighed.

"While you were unconscious, I had Joshua sell father's home. Questo ė Joshua. This is Joshua. Those men that tried to kill you knew where to find you; do you really think it's safe to go back home?" Danielle pointed out. Natalie opened her mouth to protest, but knew her sister had a point.

"Now answer my other questions."

"Molto bene. Very well. Father was living a secret life as an assassin. When I was old enough, he revealed this to me and had me trained as one also. But because of the danger it could bring to the family, I had to leave. So I have been staying at father's second villa. My status is that of master, as is Joshua's. Joshua is a member of my brotherhood, and lives with me in the villa," Danielle explained. It was a lot to take in, but Danielle managed to answer everything in a few sentences.

"Is that why…father was murdered? Because of his assassin life?" Natalie asked. Danielle hesitated, then responded.

"Yes."

"And are we going to your villa now?"

Danielle nodded in reply. The trip took most of the day because they were going at a slow pace, but soon they arrived at a large stone wall. Inside was immense farmland, tended to by several servants. The villa was just past it. The property was spacious, much larger than the house in San Gimignano. They put the horses in the stable, and Natalie followed Danielle inside.

"Have you told her yet?" Joshua asked Danielle quietly. Danielle elbowed Joshua to hush him.

"Venire. Come. We have much to discuss," Danielle told Natalie.

Natalie was led inside a large room with a massive table. Surrounding the table were chairs, so Natalie took a seat. As she looked around the room, her eyes caught a map of Tuscany and Venice.

"Please pay attention," Danielle told her.

"Scusa. Sorry. What do you need to speak to me about?" Natalie inquired.

Danielle folded her hands and rested her chin upon them with a sigh. Sensing her difficulty in starting the conversation, Joshua jumped in.

"Do you have a strange vision? Everything goes dark, except for a few glowing people or objects?" he began. Natalie nodded. Finally, someone understood.

"This is a gift of assassins. We call it Eagle Vision. We use it to point out allies, enemies, targets, and objects that will aide us. No doubt it has been used frivolously with you," Joshua stated. Natalie narrowed her eyes.

"What are you saying?"

"You are destined to be an assassin, Natalie. It is in your blood; it runs in our family. This gift is passed down from assassin to assassin. Father meant to train you, but he died before you were old enough," Danielle explained. Natalie's eyes grew wide.

"I don't think I can deny it…I mean, I have the vision. That should be proof enough. But there's no way I'm cut out to be an assassin," Natalie protested.

Danielle rose, and took Natalie's hand. She guided her upstairs and into a bedroom, then released her as she went to a wardrobe. From it she pulled out a white robe with a wide brown belt and red sash. As she handed it to Natalie, Natalie stroked the simple fabric.

"Father had this made for you, when you were ready. Rest tonight, and then meet me outside wearing it tomorrow. Training begins immediately," Danielle announced; there was no room for argument as she left.

Natalie met her sister outside, who was waiting impatiently. Wearing the outfit proudly, she had the front unfastened which showed much of her chest. Danielle eyed this with one eyebrow raised. Natalie shrugged.

"Ciò che? What? I have a nice chest, I want to show it off. That robe fastened up too high," Natalie defended. Danielle rolled her eyes.

"Now, first thing I need to teach you-"

"Wait. We've just been reunited after two years of being apart, and you don't want to catch up? You just want to get straight to business?" Natalie interrupted.

"We need to find out who attacked you. We don't have time for catch up. Now the first thing I need to teach you is free-running," Danielle said.

To demonstrate, Danielle grasped the top of a window and hoisted herself up. Brick by brick, she climbed up the wall until she grabbed the bottom of the second story window. Once she was holding onto the top of that, she hung there for a bit. With a grunt, she threw herself up and quickly grabbed onto the edge of the roof. This made Natalie gasp; she could have fallen! Danielle pulled herself up onto the roof and looked down upon Natalie triumphantly.

"That was easy; now you try," Danielle said.

Natalie gulped, but approached the wall. She mimicked Danielle's first few movements, but once she grasped the top of the first story window she let out a squeak and dropped back onto the ground.

"I…I can't!" Natalie whined. Danielle put her hands on her hips.

"Why the hell not?"

"I'm afraid…of heights," Natalie said in a lowered voice. Danielle lowered her head, her shoulders shaking in laughter.

"An assassin in training, who is afraid of heights," Danielle stated once she calmed down. Natalie folded her arms, pouting.

"Di non preoccuparsi. Not to worry. We have a special remedy for that. Joshua!" Danielle called out. Joshua came almost from out of nowhere, jumping down from the third story tower onto the second story roof of the house, landing right next to Danielle.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Natalie here is afraid of heights. You know what to do," Danielle told him, before fleeing the site.

"So what exactly do you- HEY! Put me down!" Natalie screamed.

Joshua had jumped down next to her and swung her over his shoulder. Being much stronger than her, she put up little resistance. Joshua began to climb the villa until he was on the roof of the second story. But he didn't stop there. He climbed the tower he was originally on until they were three stories high. He then deposited Natalie on top of the roof, gave her a salute and a grin, and left her there.

"What the fuck! You guys can't just leave me here!" Natalie screamed.

But apparently they could. Natalie curled up into a ball on top of the roof, paralyzed with fear. She only dared to look down once, but it scared her so much that she clung to anything she could grasp; all she could hold on to were shingles. Danielle was soon at her side with a smirk on her face.

"How long are you going to keep me up here?" Natalie whimpered.

"Well I'll bring you food, but if you want to get down then climb down yourself," Danielle told her. "Shall I bring you a bedpan as well?"

Natalie glared, but Danielle left her as she laughed evilly. Natalie could only hope that she got over her fear fast.


	3. Memory 3

Fortunately Natalie had gone to the bathroom right before "training" started, so as the hours passed she had no urgencies. The muscles in her body were still tense, but she had released the roof shingles she had been clinging onto for dear life. The sun was high in the sky, so Natalie assumed it was lunchtime. Sure enough, she was soon joined by her sister who carried a basket of food.

"Still no progress, eh?" Danielle teased as she handed Natalie the food. Natalie eagerly took it and began eating.

"So…you became a master assassin in two years. That doesn't sound right," Natalie said.

"I've been training for longer than two years, but I am rather young to be a master. Despite that, I have proven myself worthy and capable of the rank," Danielle told her.

"What about this Joshua guy? How did you two meet?" Natalie asked. Danielle smiled as if remembering a fond memory.

"We were going after the same target. I was going after the target because it was my assignment, whereas Joshua was going after the target because he killed Joshua's entire brotherhood. We had such an argument over who got to kill him that the target almost got away. In the end I let Joshua take the kill, and after seeing his skills as an assassin I offered him a place in my brotherhood. He was reluctant at first, but soon accepted," Danielle explained.

"Is there a romance between you two?" Natalie raised her eyebrows suspiciously. Danielle grew flustered.

"That is none of your business!" she yelled. Taking the empty food basket, she left Natalie once again alone.

The sun had set and it was night time, and now Natalie needed to go to the bathroom. Perhaps she could attempt to climb down; she had already started to relax as time passed anyway. Slowly, she stood up. That was a start. Inching towards the edge of the roof, she crouched down again and threw her legs over the edge. Grabbing the edge of the roof, she dropped down onto the roof of the second story. This was good progress. Once again she inched towards the edge of the roof. The first drop she had taken was a one story drop; that was easy. This one on the other hand was two stories. She would have to climb like she saw her sister do.

Repeating the steps she had done before, she wedged her feet on the pane of the second story window. Inhaling deeply, she let go of the roof and grabbed onto a brick. She giggled, rather pleased with herself. Using the bricks and edges of the windows, she climbed down until she was safely on the ground. This made her so happy she almost fell upon her hands and knees kissing the grass. Luckily she didn't, for she heard the sound of clapping behind her. Turning around, she saw her sister standing before her with a smile on her face.

"Bene fatto. Well done," Danielle praised. Breathing rapidly, Natalie grinned. "You are on your way to being an assassin."

The days passed, and nothing changed much. Natalie woke up in the early morning to meet Danielle outside, who would then make her climb the villa up then down. This was rough work; by the end of the day Natalie's nails would be broken and fingers bleeding. Each night she would immerse them in warm water, which stung terribly.

"You have been doing very well," Danielle smiled. "But now I think you need a new challenge."

Natalie followed her sister until they reached the tall wall that surrounded the perimeter of the property. It was perhaps slightly taller than the villa, and every so often had towers in it. Turning to her sister, Natalie awaited her next challenge.

"Climbing the villa is easy; there are windows and roof edges to grab. But this wall has none. I want you to climb it; but be warned, you won't be able to have a straight path upwards. You might have to jump sideways to find you way up. Once you've reached the top, run on the edge of the wall, not the path, until you make it to a tower. Then climb it to the very top, survey this land, come back down to me where I will have a paper and quill waiting for you. You will then draw a map based on what you have seen," Danielle challenged.

Natalie nodded. She knew she could no longer deny these challenges, and it was best to just accept it and face them head on. Facing the wall, Natalie started by grabbing a brick. She pulled herself up, and continued in this way. Strange, so far the path was straight…until the wall turned smooth. Natalie clung to the wall, thinking, until to her right she saw a crack in it. Jumping to her right and grasping the crack, she continued her ascent. It was a difficult job, climbing using only the smallest imperfections in a building. But for these assassins, it was not impossible. In no time, Natalie found herself at the top. Balancing on the edge of the wall like she was told to, she ran until the made it to a tower.

Once at the tower, she scaled it just like she did the wall. The roof was slightly sloped, but she grabbed onto the shingles and pulled herself up onto the tip. Barely able to keep both feet on top of the roof, Natalie surveyed the land. There was the villa, surrounded by farmland, then surrounded by the wall. That was simple enough. She climbed back down and met with her sister. Without exchanging words, she drew a detailed map of the land, including paths and everything. Danielle examined the map and nodded in approval.

"Tu mi hai soddisfatto. You have pleased me," Danielle told her. Natalie would have clapped her hands in excitement, but her fingers were sore and raw. Danielle noticed this.

"Do not worry. They will callous over time," Danielle reassured. "I believe that this place has taught you all you can about free running. Tomorrow we shall go to a nearby town and practice more."

"Sister…I was wondering…why is there so much farmland?" Natalie asked.

"Well, unlike some assassins, I prefer my hideout to remain secret. The farmland is our cover," Danielle explained.

"Oh."

Natalie awoke in the early morning like she always did and met her sister outside. Danielle was waiting for her with Joshua and three horses. They saddled the horses and rode into the countryside of Tuscany. They only rode for a few minutes reached they passed the gates of a small yet prosperous town. Leaving their horses at the gate, they entered.

"Why are we here?" Natalie asked.

"You need more dynamic surroundings to practice on. A place you are not used to. We need to see if you can adapt and free-run," Joshua told her. Natalie nodded.

The day was spent running on roof tops and climbing buildings. Natalie was still uncomfortable with heights, but forced herself not to look down. Here in the town she was climbing buildings much higher than she was used to back at the villa. But overall she was doing very well, and she knew it.

"Basta! Stop!" A voice barked at them.

Natalie turned to see a guard on the roof top; a rather strange place for a guard. Unfortunately what she also saw was the guard loading a crossbow aimed at her. But before he could fire, he dropped dead. Joshua landed next to him and retrieved his throwing knife.

"You just…you just killed a guard!" Natalie squeaked. Danielle dropped down next to her.

"Remember, guards are no friends of assassins," she warned. Then Danielle jumped over to the body and began looting it.

"Di nuovo? Again?" Joshua groaned. Danielle shrugged.

"Hey, it's free stuff."

After a few more hours of free running, the group decided to land on the ground and swing by the blacksmith. Killing people with throwing knives was so easy and handy that they were always running out of the knives. As Danielle and Joshua bartered with the blacksmith, someone bumped into Natalie then ran off. Natalie knew that was suspicious; and as she felt around her person she discovered her coin purse was gone.

"Hey! That man just stole my wallet!" Natalie cried. She watched as the man climbed the side of a building onto the roof tops. Danielle merely smiled.

"This is perfect; there will be cases when you need to chase people while free-running. Stop wasting time! Go catch him!" she ordered.

Natalie took off at a mad sprint and followed the thief's steps exactly. Once she was on the roof tops she could see him. He was standing there casually, as if he thought he was in the clear. Once he saw her, his eyes grew wide and he started running. Natalie chased him. The pursuit landed on the ground again and it only lasted a few more minutes before Natalie tackled him into a pile of crates.

Taking a good look at the thief, she saw he was rather handsome. He had black hair that sort of reached his eyes, but it was his eyes that struck her. One eye was a brown so dark it almost looked black, but the other was blind due to a scar running over it. Distraction! Natalie yanked her coin purse from his hand while glaring.

"You're lucky I don't have any weapons to kill you with," she growled at him. As she walked away, he started following her.

"Impressive skills. I must have your name," the thief insisted. Natalie ignored him and continued walking.

"Very well, I'm Sephiro," he introduced. Natalie sighed and stopped.

"Natalie. Now leave me alone. I do not have any weapons but I still have my fists," she threatened. This was a bluff though; she could free-run but she had not been taught to fight yet.

Sephiro laughed and climbed a wall. Once he was on the roof, he looked down at her.

"Può ci incontriamo di nuovo. May we meet again," he said before running off.

"Not likely," Natalie mumbled.

Joshua and Danielle waited patiently for their trainee to return with her stolen purse. They sat on a bench, trying to look inconspicuous as guards marched by.

"She's doing well," Danielle stated. Joshua nodded.

"Maybe she has the potential of being a master. Of course, it won't happen as quickly as it did with you," Joshua said this with a smirk.

"Oh how sweet," Danielle said sarcastically.

"What? I'm paying you a compliment." Joshua began poking Danielle.

Danielle started poking him back, then poking turned into shoving, and as they did so their laughter caught the attention of nearby guards.

"What's going on here?" he growled.

"Nothing," Danielle and Joshua said in unison.

The guard eyed them suspiciously, then walked off. Once he was out of sight, Joshua and Danielle started laughing uncontrollably. Joshua scooted closer to Danielle and threw his arm over her.

"So much for being inconspicuous," he muttered. Danielle tried to quiet down as she saw Natalie approach.

"Hey you two, I got my bag back," Natalie sighed. Danielle stood up and patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm proud of you. You are learning very quickly," Danielle praised.

"When do I start learning how to fight? That thief almost saw past my bluffs…" Natalie asked.

"I believe you are finished with free-running and only practice can help you improve. We will begin fighting tomorrow," Danielle said.


	4. Memory 4

Weeks passed since Natalie had been rescued. Aside from free-running, Danielle taught her how to fight. Natalie learned how to use a sword, a dagger, even throwing knives. Not only could Natalie fight, but she also learned sneaky moves as well. When in the small, nameless town where Natalie had practiced free-running before, she practiced skills such as blending, spying and eavesdropping. Danielle even paid some thieves to chase her, to see how Natalie would cope under such pressure. Then one day Natalie was summoned into that large room with the maps. Danielle and Joshua stood at the head of the table with a box in hand, Danielle smiling eagerly.

"Si?" Natalie said as she entered the room. Danielle shot Joshua a glance before approaching her sister.

"You have done well. Very well. We believe your training is done, and it is time to start putting you to work," Danielle announced. Natalie squealed, which made Joshua plug his ears.

"Of course," Danielle continued, "You cannot continue your path of assassination without this."

Danielle handed Natalie the box. When Natalie opened it, she saw inside was a leather gauntlet. But attached to the inside arm part was a strange mechanism…Natalie picked it up and initiated the mechanism on accident, causing a hidden blade to spring forward. Natalie gasped in amazement, and immediately situated the weapon onto her arm.

"Grazie sorella, Joshua. Thank you sister, Joshua. It shall be used well," Natalie vowed.

"Buono. Good. For we have your first assignment," Joshua said. Natalie leaned forward eagerly.

"While I've been training you, Joshua has been busy gathering information on the person who hired those men to kill you. We think we might have a lead. Your job is to go to San Gimignano and eavesdrop on someone named Benito Costa. If you do not gather any useful information from the conversation, follow him to somewhere secluded and beat him up until he speaks. When he does, kill him," Danielle ordered. Natalie blinked.

"Kill him? But I just need information from him. Why do I need to kill him? Why can't I let him go?" Natalie questioned him. Danielle held up a hand to silence her.

"Recite what we have taught you," Danielle demanded. Natalie sighed.

"Never kill innocents. Be discreet. And…"

"And…?"

"And never compromise the brotherhood," Natalie said, nodding. She understood now. Leaving this man alive could compromise things.

"Now go. You'll find this man in the marketplace at noon. He shall be hard to miss; imagine a peacock amongst pigeons," Danielle described. Natalie giggled at this.

It had been perhaps two hours since Natalie arrived at San Gimignano. She spent her time in the marketplace blending with crowds or on benches with other people until she heard some sign of this Costa man being here. Then she heard hushed voices.

"Signore Costa…my master bids me to tell you…" a quiet voice said.

Natalie followed the voice, blending in the crowds, until she saw a man dressed extravagantly talking to a more modestly dress man. They were exchanging words too quietly for Natalie to hear; not unless she wanted to compromise the mission. It would appear she had no choice but to follow Benito Costa and take the information by force.

"Grazie. Now off with you," Benito Costa said. He looked around suspiciously, as if he could feel Natalie watching them. "This place is not safe for such information to be exchanged."

The modest dressed man ran off, leaving Benito alone. He began his walk to an unknown location, and Natalie began her pursuit. Occasionally Benito would look over his shoulder, and Natalie would have to hide behind a wall or in a group of people. Other than his suspicions, she was unseen. Finally he stopped in a secluded garden, where he turned around armed with the sword that was at his side.

"Aha! Assassino!" He said when he saw her. Natalie did not draw her sword; she was not supposed to kill him yet.

Costa was very unskilled with the sword, and it was obviously more of a tool of intimidation. Natalie was able to dodge his swings with ease and land several blows to his face. It did not take long before she even disarmed him, kicked him in the stomach and pointed the sword at his neck. Benito Costa fell to his knees with his hands clenched.

"Please, oh please spare me," he begged. Natalie kept the sword at his throat.

"You know what information I am here for. Now speak," Natalie ordered.

"That man I was speaking to…he was telling me that Natalie De Luca is still alive, and that our master wants me to send my men after her again," Benito whimpered.

"So you were the one who sent the men in the first place? Who is this master of yours?" Natalie asked.

"I know not. He has never given me a name, other than 'The Templar.' Please spare my life. I have told you what you needed to know, that was all we said," Benito insisted.

Natalie stared at Benito Costa for a while. Yes, he was one of the men responsible for her attempted murder. But seeing him now, seeing him so pathetically cowardly and desperate for life, Natalie realized she could not kill him. She had never killed a person before, and did not know if she could make this man her first.

"Andare. Go," she said to him simply. Benito Costa stumbled to his feet and ran off.

Natalie sat on a nearby bench, burying her face in her hands. There would be hell to pay for this later. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps. Perhaps there would be hell to pay now. Natalie looked up, and she was surrounded by four guards, all with swords pointed at her.

"That's her! That's the woman who tried to kill me!" she heard Benito Costa's voice cry. Shit.

Natalie drew her own sword, but she had no idea how she would fight against four soldiers at once. Then suddenly from the rooftops, Danielle came falling and struck down two guards with her double hidden blades. Now there were only two left.

"Joshua! Get Benito Costa!" Danielle cried out. Natalie heard footsteps on the roof, but saw no one. Danielle then turned to Natalie. "Ingannare! You fool! You have compromised the brotherhood!"

There was no time for shame, for the guards began to advance upon the girls. Swords clashed, and Danielle even threw in a few punches and kicks. Finally, Danielle struck the guard in his knees with her foot, bringing him down, where she dug her sword into his neck and slid it across. The blood splattered on the ground. Now it was Natalie's turn to redeem herself. Natalie dodged her opponent's attack, then blocked another with her sword. She received a kick to her stomach, and when she landed on the ground her sword went flying out of her hand. So much for redeeming herself. The guard came upon her, and was ready to stab her in the stomach. Natalie rolled out of the way and while the guard was distracted, she jammed her hidden blade in the guard's head. Now she had her first kill.

"Non male. Not bad. But we'll still talk later," Danielle growled. "Joshua!"

Joshua entered the gardens, bloody sword in hand.

"Benito Costa is dead," he nodded. Natalie grabbed and sheathed her sword, and all three assassins fled to the rooftops, then to the Villa de De Luca in the Tuscan countryside.

Back at the villa, Natalie was receiving a true scolding; a real verbal beat down from Danielle. Joshua just sat in the corner with his arms folded.

"I told you! I told you! You have to kill him! You really think they're going to keep quiet? No! They always run to the guards for help!" Danielle chastised. Natalie hung her head in shame. "You are a good person, you have never killed before. But get used to it. You are going to be an assassin now, and killing shall have to be second nature to you."

"Mi dispiace…I'm sorry…" Natalie said. "But you're right…I've never killed before. And he was begging for his life…"

"No mercy for your enemies," Joshua said. Danielle nodded in agreement.

"For God's sake, he was the man who sent soldiers to kill you in the first place," Danielle said, trying to convince Natalie why he should've died.

"I won't make this mistake again," Natalie promised.

"Well until we can trust you again, you're back to running laps on the roof tops of the nearby town," Joshua said. Natalie groaned, and Danielle couldn't help but smile. Overall, the mission was a success.


	5. Memory 5

After discovering the location of Benito Costa's house, Natalie snuck in at night to look for any clue to her next target. Shuffling through his papers, she found a few letters that had an identical marking on them. This had to mean something, so she tucked them away. This was all she could find.

Once outside of Benito's house, Natalie sat on a bench and opened the letters. They were an exchange between the same people; Benito, and…Alonzo Moretti. Alonzo. That stronzo, that asshole that cornered her in the market before she was almost killed. He actually has something to do with this.

Natalie read all the letters, and discovered the man ordering Natalie's death happened to be Alonzo's father. Alonzo was obviously not an innocent man in this matter; in fact, the letters were discussing Alonzo ordering men to go after Natalie. So from the information Natalie received from the letters and eavesdropping on Benito…Benito Costa used his money to supply the men, and Alonzo used his military experience to order them. And Alonzo's father had control over everyone. Natalie knew who her next target was.

Back at the Villa de De Luca, Natalie presented her findings to Joshua and Danielle.

"Capisco…I see…You have done well. Not only have you made the connections yourself, but you found information to support these claims. First we need to watch this Alonzo Moretti and find out when would be the ideal time to strike," Danielle told Natalie.

"Grazie. Thank you," Natalie said with a bow.

When Alonzo was located, he was kept under the watchful eye of the three assassins. There did not seem to be a good time, though; he was constantly talking with guards and soldiers. Then came the ideal time when Alonzo left for his courtyard, insisting that he be left alone. Danielle and Joshua gave Natalie a nod, signaling that now was the time. Natalie jumped into the courtyard to confront Alonzo.

"Dear God, Natalie?" Alonzo asked with wide eyes.

"Ciao."

"I heard someone tried to murder you, and am so relieved that you survived!" Alonzo told her, approaching her. Natalie took a step backwards.

"You were the one who ordered those guards to kill me. And Benito was the one who supplied the guards to you in the first place," Natalie explained. Alonzo smirked.

"Very well, I suppose I don't need to keep up this façade. When I heard Benito Costa was dead, I knew you had something to do with it," Alonzo accused.

"I'm not the one who killed him. But I will be the one to kill you," Natalie growled.

With her hidden blade exposed, she made a jab at him. But Alonzo grabbed her arm and flipped her on her back. Luckily Natalie was able to stand up right as Alonzo unsheathed his sword; Natalie did the same. Most of her moves were defending herself against Alonzo's aggressive attacks. Then she saw an opening; he dramatically raised his sword to lay a killing blow, so Natalie stabbed hers into his abdomen. Pulling it out, Alonzo dropped his sword and fell to the ground. Natalie knelt next to him.

"Tell me where your father is," she interrogated.

"Vai a farte fottere. Go fuck yourself," Alonzo gasped, then breathed his last breath.

"Very well. Requiescat in pace," Natalie told the dead man, closing his eyes with her fingers. Danielle told her to always respect the dead.

As soon as she was finished, she climbed to the roof tops and followed Danielle and Joshua to a safe place. There she received many congratulations and pats on her back.

"I'm very proud of you! You fought well, and killed him this time," Danielle praised.

"Not bad for your first kill," Joshua admitted.

"I could not get any information out of him. Do either of you know who Alonzo Moretti's father is?" Natalie asked, her mind still on business. Both Joshua and Danielle looked at each other and regretfully shook their heads.

"I never even heard of Alonzo Moretti until now. Clearly they're a family that keeps to themselves. And they can't be a very wealthy family, if they had to be sponsored by Benito Costa," Danielle explained.

"We are friends with the thieves and whores. They owe us many a favor; we can ask for them to keep an eye out for any information on this man," Joshua offered. Natalie nodded.

"We'll get on that right now. You should go home and rest; we'll need you fully rested if we find out anything," Danielle ordered.

"Ehi! Hey! What are you doing up here?" a guard yelled.

"And that's our cue to leave!" Danielle said in a sing-song voice. Danielle and Joshua took off in separate directions.

"I said what are you doing up here? Don't make me shoot!" the guard threatened, pulling an arrow out of his quiver.

"Oh shut up," Natalie muttered, mostly to herself, as she threw a throwing knife into his head. She was in a bad mood.

The Moretti house was far enough away that she was able to walk on the ground like a normal person. As fun as it was to run on roof tops, it was nice to pretend she was normal. As she walked, she passed by the blacksmith.

"Signora! Come! Look at this dagger! Make a nice gift for your husband, huh?" the blacksmith advertised.

The dagger was indeed nice…it appeared to be light, sturdy, sharp, but most importantly of all, shiny…Unfortunately, Natalie was dirt poor. She had to reluctantly refuse. Then a thought occurred to her; she deserved a little treat after the day she had. So she decided to test out a skill she was told to use only in emergencies.

As she passed through crowds of people, she slipped her hand into their pockets and withdrew any money they had. When she was a safe distance from them she would turn around and see them search their empty pockets frantically; this made her laugh. It took a while…but soon she had enough for that nice dagger.

"Buona sera, signore. Good evening, sir. I've changed my mind. I'll take that dagger if you don't mind," Natalie said, placing the money in the blacksmith's hand.

"Ricardo! Wrap this dagger up for the lovely lady!" the blacksmith called to a man in the back.

Natalie felt rather pleased with herself. If Danielle or Joshua gave her grief, she would insist that it was an investment. An assassin should have the best weapons, should they not? Walking away, she unwrapped the dagger and looked at it. She was so distracted that she bumped into a man.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Natalie apologized. The man turned around; he was rather handsome.

"That is a rather nice dagger you have, signora. Is it for your husband?" he asked. Natalie narrowed her eyes.

"I do not have a husband! Why can't a woman own a dagger? This town can be dangerous!" Natalie protested. The man held up his hands defensively and laughed.

"Calm down. Maybe that was my way of asking if you had a husband," the man told her. Natalie smirked. This day was starting to turn up.

"Well if you had just asked, I would have said no," Natalie smiled.

"In that case, may I escort you home?" the man offered. Natalie sighed.

"I shall have to decline. Grazie, though."

"How about a walk?"

"Oh you know you want more than a walk," Natalie flirted with a wink, taking the man by his arm. He laughed.

Meanwhile, Joshua knocked on the door of the thieves' guild. The leader, Horace, opened the door.

"Joshua! Benvenuto! Come in," Horace welcomed.

"Grazie. I assume you know I'm here on business," Joshua said. Horace grinned.

"But of course. How may we help you?"

"We have recruited my partner's little sister, Natalie, into our brotherhood. She is currently working on the case concerning the people who tried to kill her. We have reached a dead end though; we are searching for a man by the last name of Moretti. Unfortunately, we have never heard of him. Can you and your thieves keep an eye out for any information concerning this man?" Joshua asked. Horace nodded.

"You can leave it to us Joshua!" Horace promised.

"Grazie amico. Thank you my friend," Joshua said, then left.

In the corner of the room sat a man with black hair. One eye was a brown so dark it looked almost black, and the other was blind because of a scar that ran over it. When he heard Joshua speak, a name caught his attention. Natalie. Sounded very familiar.


	6. Memory 6

The impatient Natalie spent much of her time completing small missions given to her by distressed citizens or rich allies of Danielle and Joshua's. There was nothing; absolutely nothing on this mysterious Moretti person. The key to her attempted murder. It was difficult keeping herself from going crazy waiting.

Another day, and nothing. Natalie returned home from executing a guard that had raped a woman, and was met with disappointed faces. Danielle and Joshua had been keeping busy trying to find this man, but they were having as much difficulty as everyone else. The oldest sister patted Natalie on her back.

"We'll try harder tomorrow," she reassured. That was the same thing she told Natalie every evening.

When Joshua and Danielle retired for the night, Natalie equipped herself with her weapons and set off. She would not be able to sleep, so she might as well see if she could find anything.

With San Gimignano sleeping, she found it much easier to sneak around the city. There were still guards of course, but they weren't paying attention. In fact, Natalie only had to waste one throwing knife on a guard that happened to see her. The young assassin was trying to make her way to Alonzo's estate, hoping to find more information by snooping around just like she did with Benito Costa.

All she had to do was hop a few more buildings, but she perched right where she was when she heard voices. It was always best to remain discrete.

"But do you really think it is appropriate for him to throw a party, so soon after his son's death?" one voice said in hushed tones.

"Alonzo was a failure; Signore Moretti didn't even shed a tear during mourning period," the other voice chuckled softly.

Natalie had to cover her mouth to avoid squeaking with joy; this was too easy! She crawled along the rooftop to follow the voices.

"No matter…the invitations have been sent. No one will be allowed in without one," the first man said. Okay, getting a little tricky…

"And we have already hired enough guards to block every door," the second man added. And now it has gotten difficult.

"Hey!" a guard cried out. Dammit! Natalie threw a knife at the man, killing him instantly, but the two men below already heard.

"Il mio amico, my friend, let us go inside. I do not feel comfortable out here," one of them said.

"Si…agreed," the other said, and they disappeared.

Damn damn damn! Now Natalie had no idea when this party was, or where it would be held! Frustrated and royally pissed, the assassin decided to take the information back to the Villa de De Luca.

Natalie was kind enough to wait for Joshua and Danielle to wake up before telling them everything, but as soon as they stumbled down the stairs she bombarded them with information. Once it set in, Danielle blinked.

"Va bene…okay…Let me get ready, and I'll think about what to do next," Danielle said.

Now dressed and freshened up, Danielle headed straight outside for the pigeon coop. Natalie followed eagerly.

"Ciò che? What?" Natalie pestered. Danielle scribbled out a message, attached it to a pigeon and released the bird before turning to Natalie.

"It's a party hosted by our enemy. Who do you think most of the guests will be?" Danielle quizzed. Natalie blinked.

"…Men?" she answered hesitantly. Danielle nodded.

"How do men like to spend their free time?"

"In the brothels!"

"So who do you think will be invited to this little party?" Danielle grinned. Natalie mirrored the grin.

"Whores!" she cheered.

Meanwhile, Joshua stuck his head out the window, then pulled back inside and shook his head.

"Such a weird thing to hear first thing in the morning," he mumbled as he ate his breakfast.

When Danielle felt the pigeon had enough time to reach the brothel, she collected Natalie and Joshua. Natalie had never been to the brothels; nor did she really want to. As they walked through the streets in San Gimignano, they started going into a not-so-nice part of the city. Soon they stopped in front of a building that had a hanging sign in front of it, and the sign had a blossom on it. Danielle gave a rhythmic knock, and was greeted by an extravagantly dressed and jeweled woman.

"Danielle! Joshua! Please come in. Is this your sister? Of course she can come in too," the woman greeted. Her voice was enthusiastic but soft.

"Signora Adelina, did you receive my pigeon?" Danielle asked, taking a seat on a couch. Natalie and Joshua did the same.

"Si, I did. And you are in luck; my girls were invited to attend a party tonight. The name of the man is unknown, but we could tell by the amount he paid us that he is of great importance. Surely this cannot be a coincidence?" Adelina smiled.

"No, non può. No it cannot," Danielle said to herself.

Some girls poked their heads out from behind a door, eager to see who was there. When they saw their assassin friends, they giggled Joshua's name. This made Joshua roll his eyes, but Danielle glared and let out a quiet growl. Adelina turned around and shooed the girls away.

"May I ask what is going on in that little head of yours?" Adelina said to Danielle. Danielle looked at Natalie.

"My sister tells me the place will be heavily guarded. During the day we can sneak in and hide our blades, but we will not be able to hide ourselves. Somehow we will need to be able to get in at night, during the party. Disguised…unnoticed…" Danielle shot another glance at her sister. Adelina caught on, and grinned. When Natalie finally caught on, she sat up straight.

"Oh no, no no…" she protested. But she knew she had no choice.

Joshua was given small knives to hide in the building where the party would be held; Moretti's own house. They would be small enough to be overlooked by sweeping guards, but deadly enough to do the trick if wielded properly. Meanwhile, Danielle and Natalie had to get ready.

"Natalie! Hurry up or we'll be late!" Danielle called from downstairs.

Natalie was ready alright; but she was downright embarrassed. The great plan? Disguise themselves as whores and sneak in with Adelina's girls. The young assassin didn't mind showing off a little bit of skin, but this was ridiculous! With a groan, Natalie went downstairs to meet with her sister. They both wore the same thing as the other five girls they were going with; tight corsets with skirts that showed plenty of leg. Danielle's hair was in a bun, but Natalie's was too short to do anything with. Everyone's face was painted with make-up. This was just ridiculous.

"You girls will do fine," Adelina reassured.

"Let's go," Danielle ordered.

The prostitutes knew their way to Moretti's house, so they led the way. When they made it to the front door, Danielle and Natalie saw there would have been no way they could have scaled the walls. Guards were posted throughout the entire perimeter and definitely would have seen. The guards at the front door looked over the "prostitutes," then let everyone in. Danielle and Natalie were able to keep their cool. Once inside, the whole group split up; the real whores to do their business, Danielle and Natalie to do theirs.

"Natalie, use your sight. Where is Moretti?" Danielle whispered.

Naturally, the whole world went dark. The guards were glowing red, Danielle and the prostitutes were glowing blue, but there was no gold person. Natalie's vision returned to normal.

"I can't see him. Let's try and find our knives before we try again," Natalie muttered. Just then, a man grabbed Danielle.

"Ho avuto uno! I got one!" the man laughed, wrapping his arm around Danielle. "You shy little mouse, why are you and your friend avoiding us?"

"Oh…um…" Danielle stammered.

Natalie was ready to snap the man's neck, but Danielle's forced laughter at the man's jokes was a signal to her to get a move on. Reluctantly, Natalie left her sister to find the knives. Switching between her eagle vision and regular vision, she finally spotted something white and sparkling hidden in the potted plants. Tucking two knives into her corset, she smiled and joined the party.

Natalie was good at flirting, so no one was suspicious of her not being a whore. But she didn't linger with any man for too long; she was constantly on the move trying to find Moretti. Eventually she pulled away from the party once more, and started exploring the staircase. That's when she heard voices from behind a door.

"And how is our little fundraiser downstairs going?" a man asked.

"Molto bene; very well. At this rate, we will have many new templar recruits," another man laughed.

"Rich, templar recruits. We mustn't forget that, ever since the death of Benito Costa," the first man said.

"And you are not concerned about the assassins?"

"Ha! There is no way they could make it inside. And even so, I hear there's only three of them, one of them being a trainee. They are no threat to me," one of the men chuckled. Perhaps that was Moretti.

"Shall we join the party? It is rude to ignore our guests," the other man suggested.

Natalie heard footsteps approaching the door, so she frantically began descending the stairs. It was too late though; both men saw her.

"Aha! Moretti, one of the little vixens has been looking for you," the second man said. Moretti, a middle-aged man, stared at Natalie and grinned.

"Well come here girl; time to make your living. I'll meet you downstairs," Moretti said, grabbing Natalie. Once the other man left, Moretti dragged Natalie to his room and closed the door.

"Very clever; even I didn't think you could make it in here, assassin," he grinned. Natalie feigned shock.

"Assassino? Non mi! Not me!" Natalie insisted. Moretti backhanded her.

"Cut the shit. You're not just any assassin, but you're the trainee. The girl that I had ordered killed," Moretti said. Natalie narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, I never did understand why," she growled. Moretti cracked his knuckles.

"It's sad that you have to pay for your father's mistakes," he said.

"My father's…?"

"All you were told was that he was killed, were you not? You were never told who killed him? Perhaps that was for a reason," Moretti hinted.

Before Natalie could question him, he lunged at her and wrapped his hands around her throat. Natalie kicked and punched, but as she choked her attacks grew weaker. Then she felt something sharp cut her slightly on her chest and she remembered; of course! She was armed. Idiot…Pulling the dagger out of her corset and cutting her chest in the process, she slashed at Moretti's throat. The cut was not deep enough to be lethal, but it got him off of her.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded hoarsely, rubbing her own throat.

Moretti laughed, which pissed Natalie off so much she jammed the dagger into his gut and left him there to die. Natalie stood back, then calmly went downstairs. All of the men were so drunk hardly any of them noticed the blood on her. The few that did were laughed at by their friends. She gave the nod to her sister, who shoved the gross man off of her. The two girls exited the building as calmly as they entered.

Now back at Villa de De Luca, Natalie had several questions for her sister.

"Who killed father?" she demanded.

"Um…I don't know," Danielle said, avoiding eye contact. Danielle knew something but wouldn't say it.

"What mistakes did he make that would be worth someone trying to murder me?" Natalie tried. Once again, nothing.

Natalie would have to find out on her own.


End file.
